


Socks and a Highlighter

by JQ (musicmillennia)



Series: Smol Dragon Barry 'verse [3]
Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Baby Dragon Barry, Baby dragons - Freeform, Dragons, Fluff, For reasons, Gen, Highlighters are Very Important, Len is a Dork, Nesting, Platonic Love, Socks, and the back of his sock drawer FLAUNTS it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-17
Updated: 2016-06-17
Packaged: 2018-07-15 17:09:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7231306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musicmillennia/pseuds/JQ
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Barry's only a couple months out of the shell, Len finds something strange in his sock drawer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Socks and a Highlighter

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BlueStar1937](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueStar1937/gifts).



> I got inspired by a cat video, no joke.

As you might expect, caring for a newborn baby dragon is a notoriously difficult process for non-dragon handlers. Not only are they next to fatally curious, they’re also hyperactive, making the former trait that much worse. That doesn’t even touch the possessive nature a dragon never grows out of, or the way they like to show just how much they adore their treasures.

For a painfully young Barry Allen, his possessions are his friends and family. The gem he’s especially partial to, however, is Len.

Len’s gone through this process with every dragon he’s handled, even one as old as Kendra. It’s perfectly natural, really: as baby ducks imprint on their mothers, so baby dragons imprint on their handlers. As such, he’s done a lot of work on his quarters to make sure they can withstand almost anything dragon-related. For example, the sheets on his bed are flame retardant, and there isn’t a single stick of wood. Unfortunately, as such, there’s a ton of metal.

While the Mardon brothers only made it snow because Len likes the cold, Barry likes to show how much he cares by singeing and electrifying every surface of Len’s rooms. Every time he wants to touch something metal in there, Len has to stick out his elbow to make sure he gets static electricity outta the way first.

It’s like being pranked with a hand buzzer all the time. While something in Len appreciates how much effort Barry put into his affections, most of him would like to shoot something—not Barry, but _something_.

Thankfully Len still hasn’t stopped shaving his head. He’d hate to see what he’d look like after Barry’s ministrations.

He puts up with it because it’s perfectly normal behavior for a dragon, and it’s his job as Barry’s handler to make sure he grows up healthy every way he can. Although Leonard Snart’s probably one of the worst role models out there, Barry seems to be doing very well. Since Barry’s not a human, Len has an easier time leading by example.

Thankfully this turns out to be a phase, one that gradually dies off as Barry discovers what he wants to hoard: _case files_. Scientific mostly, but also what police investigations he can get his talons on. And those things tend not to do well when burned by lightning.

Len braces himself for what will inevitably come next. About a week after Barry learns to fly, he finds out what new method his dragon’s come up with.

* * *

He’s just gotten back from a ride with Lisa. Windblown and damp from her flying through clouds, Len decides on a shower. Pulling his riding gloves off along the way, he traverses to the elevator and jams the number 5.

As soon as he walks through the door, Len knows something’s different. Not _off_ , just…different. Like someone—or something—redecorated and he has to get used to it. Thing is, nothing’s been redecorated. Everything’s in its place.

Except—ah. His sock drawer, the second topmost on his dresser, has been pulled open. Something is trilling inside.

Slowly, Len creeps across the room on silent feet. Dragons are heavy sleepers in safe territory, and he knows for certain it’s a dragon sleeping in his drawer before he sees him.

Sure enough, when Len peers over the edge, the sight of Barry nestled in his socks greets him. The baby dragon has nearly covered himself in socks. He uses the abundant black ones for padding and the ones from the very back as a makeshift blanket, so only his scarlet head, a bit of his tail, and the tips of his folded wings are visible. As Len watches, Barry’s legs jerk in his sleep, uncovering themselves too.

It should be said that Barry has buried himself under Darth Vader, Spock, and Frozone socks. Len dreads to think what he’ll say when he wakes up—one thing’s for certain, Len’ll be telling him they’re all Christmas gifts from Lisa as jokes. He’s almost positive Barry will believe him. The kid’s definitely naïve enough to still believe his white lies.

(“So the Flower Dragon _is_ real?”

“Sure they are. Comes out every Easter to help Cottontail. Only their eggs are _twice_ the size.”

“Wow!”

“Mhm.”)

Honestly, two months outta the shell. He should know better. Too bad Len’s not gonna be teaching him any different; Barry has to learn from experience, you know. It’ll be excellent practice for his sense of judgment.

But that all comes later. For now, Barry’s talons are opening and closing, and Len’s smile is a tiny, bright thing as he obligingly holds out a finger for the baby dragon to grip. Barry’s trill hitches higher, happier.

Gradually, Len replaces his finger with a highlighter from his desk, settled right next to his dresser. With something to hold onto, Barry’s fidgeting lessens.

Len taps his talons twice and murmurs, “Sleep tight, kid.”

After he’s disappeared into the bathroom, Barry opens his eyes and smiles. He hugs his new highlighter close; he decides he’ll use it for highlighting his favorite parts of the case files.

He falls back to sleep, lulled by the faint hum of Len singing in the shower.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
